Then how can you make out that you're shocked by this? People who are arrested on suspicion of terrorism in the UK can be held for 28 days with out charge. From the 70s onward, anyone arrested in relation to Northern Irish terrorism could be held for 48 hours without charge. Holding someone incommunicado for up to 9 hours sounds like a distinct improvement by UK standards, sad to say.
>> "anyone arrested in relation to Northern Irish terrorism could be held for 48 hours without charge"
This I understand due to the threat level here. Bombs are discovered on a regular basis (I've linked to just one example[1] but if you take a look through the news in the last 2 months you'll find more) and the threat of terrorism is real.
You don't have to explain that to me. I'm from Ireland, I used to live in London, and I've seen bombs go off myself, so I'm quite aware of the risks to the public. What I'm saying is that it's disingenuous of you to express surprise about the existence of such laws.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-terrorism_legislation#Unit...